History
of WCIEThanks
to Marc Tyll for this history of WCIE.
WCIE began regular broadcast
service on May 20, 1975 when Carpenter’s Home
Church
in Lakeland
received a construction permit for a new non commercial FM radio station. The
original frequency was on 91.3 and the station operated with 50,000 watts from a
500 foot tower located at 777 Carpenter’s Way in Lakeland, Florida. The call letters –
WCIE – stood for Where Christ Is Everything and
was managed by the
Evangel
Christian
School, a part of the Carpenter’s Home
Church. The original format was Contemporary Hit Christian Music with some Christian
talk programming such as Focus on the Family hosted by Dr. James
Dobson. In 1980 WCIE increased its power to 100,000 watts when the
station moved its frequency from the original 91.3 dial position to 91.1.
Programming remained Contemporary Christian with select Christian talk
programming throughout the 1980s and most of the 1990s. In 1997, Carpenter’s
Home
Church
sold WCIE for $5 million to Paxson Communications Corporation
in a three way station swap. Paxson purchased WKES-FM 101.5
Saint Petersburg from the Moody Bible Institute and WCIE
simultaneously. WCIE, along with some cash, was traded to Moody in
exchange for the 101.5 frequency. WCIE became WKES-FM 91.1 and
began programming Moody Broadcasting Network programming that had
previously been broadcast over the 101.5 frequency. Today WKES-FM 91.1 continues to broadcast programs from the
Moody Broadcasting Network and
is simulcast over WKZM-FM 104.3 Sarasota and WHGN-FM 91.9 Crystal
River.

Names In WCIE History

James
Campbell-1975-President-Carpenters
Home Church/Evangel Christian School